Driving through Arizona, a place of thirsty deserts and terra-cotta sunsets, it soon feels that every road leads back to Frank Lloyd Wright. Here in the Southwest, the architect’s influence stretches far beyond the buildings he personally designed, which include his low-slung winter home, Taliesin West. It also appears in the daring experiments of his students, who scattered the desert with stylish, often radical creations, treating Arizona as a vast frontier for imagining how people might live in these wide-open spaces.
Most structures emerged midcentury, when a postwar housing boom drew newcomers seeking affordable land and endless sunshine. The architecture style—all jutting roofs, soaring windows, and sandstone walls—became known as desert modernism.
Today, these carefully preserved buildings reward road-trippers with pit stops for hearty lunches in an A-frame restaurant or an overnight stay in a motor court once favored by the king of rock ‘n’ roll. From north to south, here are seven detour-worthy stops for those with an eye for great design and an appetite for big ideas.
Americana Motor Hotel, Flagstaff
Americana Motor Hotel has been renovated for the 100-year anniversary of Route 66 but still retains retro touches.
Courtesy of Practice Hospitality
In time for Route 66’s centennial in 2026, one of the Mother Road’s most storied motels has been revived as a hip hangout for a new wave of travelers. Since 1962, the retro-futurist Americana Motor Hotel has hosted everyone from moon-bound astronauts training in Arizona’s lunar-like terrain to Elvis Presley on tour. After a major 2023 revamp, its heyday vibes are back, complete with room rates that feel like a charming throwback, too.
Inside the 89 guest rooms (from $101), wood paneling channels a David Lynch set, carpets swirl with go-faster stripes, and disco balls spin overhead. Evenings bring retro lawn games and stargazing through telescopes.
Chapel of the Holy Cross, Sedona
Jutting improbably from Sedona’s red rocks, the Chapel of the Holy Cross has been an Arizona pilgrimage destination since 1956, with its stark concrete cross seemingly built straight into the rust-colored cliffs. Conceived by local sculptor Marguerite Brunswig Staude, with early input from Frank Lloyd Wright’s son, the ultra-minimalist church clings to the red rocks 250 feet above the rugged canyon floor.
Its heavenward design attracts 7 million architecture aficionados and spiritual seekers each year. Open daily, entry is free and there’s a small gift store selling Arizona-made crafts and devotional keepsakes.
Taliesin West, Scottsdale
Taliesin West was the winter home of Frank Lloyd Wright.
Photos by Andrew Pielage/Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation
Surely the headline act for any architecture tour, Taliesin West is a masterclass in organic design. Frank Lloyd Wright spent mild winters at his beloved home. Built in 1937, it also doubled as his studio and an apprentice-powered ideas laboratory.
Come to admire the boulder-strewn walls that blend seamlessly into the Sonoran landscape and the restrained, light-filled interiors. Linger until sunset, when the desert glows fiery golden and the architecture feels its most transcendent. Self-guided tours run throughout the day (audio tours $44), while newer program offerings include a foraging hike and watercolor painting workshops.
Arizona Biltmore, Phoenix
The pattern on the stonework of the Arizona Biltmore has a mesmerizing effect.
Courtesy of Arizona Biltmore
Rising like a zigzagging temple dedicated to high design, the Arizona Biltmore first opened in 1929 under architect Albert Chase McArthur, with consultation from his former mentor, Frank Lloyd Wright.
Its signature 20,000 precast “Biltmore blocks,” made from local sand, create palm tree patterns that sway gloriously across the facade. A 2023 renovation refreshed its 705 rooms (from $355), including secluded cottages once favored by Hollywood stars Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor. Weekend history tours spotlight original fixtures and storied details.
Gammage Auditorium, Tempe
University campuses aren’t always known for boundary-pushing design, but Arizona State University likes to stand apart from the crowd. For one of his last public commissions, Frank Lloyd Wright explored his fascination with ancient Greek and Roman theaters, creating a modernist take on the classic coliseum. Sadly, he didn’t live to see Gammage Auditorium finished in 1964, but his protégé William Wesley Peters oversaw the final build.
These days, the 3,000-seat auditorium is best appreciated by catching a concert, recital, or Broadway-style show, or by arranging a 75-minute backstage tour through the university.
Oliver’s Modern American, Scottsdale
Oliver’s pays homage to a tiki bar of yore.
Courtesy of Oliver’s Modern American
A feast for both the eyes and the stomach, this Polynesian-style, A-frame restaurant still stands proudly by the roadside, against the odds. Built in 1964 at the height of America’s tiki craze, the building that once contained a Dairy Queen narrowly escaped demolition before a preservation-minded developer brought it back to life as Oliver’s, a cocktail lounge and restaurant, in 2024.
Today, breeze block walls and terrazzo floors set the scene for hulking plates of saucy baby back ribs. Order the Queen, a cocktail inspired by the nostalgic pineapple upside-down cake, presented in a vintage tiki glass.
Hotel Valley Ho, Scottsdale
Feel a glamorous Hollywood vibe at Hotel Valley Ho.
Courtesy of Hotel Valley Ho
Considered one of the best-preserved midcentury hotels in the United States, Hotel Valley Ho first opened in 1956, designed by Edward L. Varney, a disciple of Frank Lloyd Wright (him again!) and a pioneer of desert modernism. After falling on hard times, the 241-room resort emerged from a major retrofit in 2005 with all its Mad Men–era swagger intact.
Original geometric concrete partitions and open-air walkways now sit side-by-side with plush upgrades such as B&B Italia sofas and sculptural Knoll loungers. Book in (from $259) and join the crowd around the parasol-lined swimming pool, or dive deeper into the property’s design legacy on a guided walking tour with local midcentury expert Ace Bailey, who unpacks the hotel’s Hollywood past and architectural details.
